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This isn’t really so much a “makeover” as an “upgrade.” It started out a humble tee-shirt, and it ends up…

…a humble tee-shirt, with frills.

I got this idea while browsing a clothing mail-order catalogue over breakfast. I saw a crocheted-edged tee in the catalogue, and realized that somewhere in my stash I probably had some yarn that matched some tee-shirt in my collection, and indeed, there was.)
How-to:

1) Cut off whatever parts of the tee you want. (I cut out the neckline, cut off the sleeves, and cut off the bottom 6″ of the hem.

2) At each cut edge, fold under 1/4″ of fabric and, with a fat, sharp metal sewing needle, hand-stitch the edge through both layers in blanket stitch. This gives you a neat line of loops along the edge of the fabric, in which to crochet. (at left, below)

3) With a crochet hook to match the weight of your yarn, at a side seam, attach a new end of yarn to your blanket stitching with a slip-stitch. Single crochet one row of stitches all the way around. (at right, above)

Now, what you do after this, exactly, depends on how much you cut off, and how much you need to build back up again. You could build a whole bodice in crochet to go on a tee shirt base. I was thinking for my next one I’ll do a more elaborate lace collar, and then cut away a tee shirt to match it. But for this one, I stayed simple since it’s my first. For the frothy sleeves on mine I used a lace pattern from a book of vintage patterns in my collection.

But around the neck and hem, I made up a simple scallop stitch. It goes something like this:

Row 1: Single crochet all the way around (same as step 3, above).

Row 2: *Ch 6, skip the next 3 sc stitches, sc in following (4th) sc stitch. Repeat from * until the end, fudging the count a little bit at the end if you don’t have a perfect multiple of 4 stitches in your row.

I finished a sweater I’ve been working on for almost two years. It’s from Susan Crawford’s book A Stitch in Time, one of my favorite knitting pattern books, where old sweater patterns of many vintages are reworked for modern yarn weights, clothing size, and with more complete, specific instructions. The one I’ve been working on has the beguiling title of “Have you Made a Jumper Yet?”

So although it sure took me long enough, I can know say with certainty that I most definitely have.

This has been a lot of knitting–and crochet. About half of this is crochet, the lacework panels on waist, sleeves, and around the neck. I’d say it’s about half and half. And on size 3 needles, well, it takes a whole lot of stitching to make fabric, and it’s a fairly loose, flowing design, so there’s a lot of fabric to it.

I love how it turned out. I especially like how the 1920’s flavor came through, it looks properly vintage. I also like the way the yarn (Elsebeth Lavold’s “Silky Wool”) worked up, the varying nature of the crochet and knit together. The crochet is flatter, more stiff, while the knit parts are drapey and luxuriously springy, with more stretch to the fabric. (I converted it from stockinette to moss stitch, and I love the texture of moss stitch in vintage patterns.)
This has been such a major project, and it has been on the needles for so long that I admit, finishing it, I am a bit at a loss. What to knit, next? How can I sit down to watch a movie or television show, with no “Knitted Jumper” to slave away at on teeny tiny needles? (Don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll find something.) 🙂

I do think this has been one of my most intensive knit projects ever. (I call it “knit” even though it’s half crochet. That’s another thing I like about old-fashioned patterns, there’s less of a divide between the two crafts, and they often appear companionably in tandem with one another.)

There are a few more pictures over on my Ravelry page, for knitting-inclined people.

Apparently, knitting and sewing and crochet and jewelry-making are not enough for me, because I started something else. Inspired by the brilliant patterns over at Stitch Diva, I started teaching myself hairpin lace.

It’s pretty, in progress. I’m not sure I’m a total convert, yet–it still feels cumbersome, and my first attempt at a project turned into a slippery disaster of a tangle. But it seems that if there’s one more way to turn yarn into something wearable, I should at least give that a chance.